EARTH-BURNING 



over one half of the piece, while he put soaper s ashes over the other 

 part of the piece. I saw the turnips in October ; and there was 

 no visible difference in the two parts, whether as to the vigorous- 

 ness of the plants or the bulk of the turnips. They were sown 

 broad-cast, and stood unevenly upon the ground. They were 

 harvested a month ago (it is now 26 November), which was a 

 month too early. They would have been a third, at least, more 

 in bulk, and much better in quality, if they had remained in the 

 ground until now. The piece was 70 paces long and 7 paces 

 wide ; and, the reader will find, that, as the piece produced forty 

 bushels, this was at the rate of four hundred bushels to the acre. 



198. What quantity of earth ashes were spread on this piece it is 

 impossible to ascertain with precision ; but, I shall suppose the 

 quantity to have been very large indeed in proportion to the 

 surface of the land. Let it be four times the quantity of the 

 soaper s ashes. Still, the one was made upon the spot, at, perhaps, 

 a tenth part of the cost of the other ; and, as such ashes can be 

 made upon any farm, there can be no reason for not trying the 

 thing, at any rate, and which trying may be effected upon so small 

 a scale as not to exceed in expence a half of a dollar. I presume, 

 that many farmers will try this method of obtaining manure ; 

 and, therefore, I will describe how the burning is effected. 



199. There are two ways of producing ashes from earth : the 

 one in heaps upon the ground, and the other within walls of turf, 

 or earth. The first, indeed, is the burning of turf, or peat . But, 

 let us see how it is done. 



200. The surface of the land is taken off to a depth of two or 

 threeinches, and turned the earth side uppermost to dry. The land, 

 of course is covered with grass, or heath, or something, the roots 

 of which hold it together, and which makes the part taken off take 

 the name of turf. In England, this operation is performed with 

 a turf-cutter, and by hand. The turfs are then taken, or a part 

 of them, at least, and placed on their edges, leaning against each 

 other, like the two sides of the roof of a house. In this state 

 they remain, till they are dry enough to burn. Then the burning 

 is begun in this way. A little straw and some dry sticks, or any 

 thing that will make a trifling fire, is lighted. Some little bits of 

 the turf are put to this. When the turf is on fire, more bits are 

 carefully put round against the openings whence the smoke issues. 

 In the course of a day or two the heap grows large. The burnings 

 keeps working on the inside, though there never appears any 

 blase. Thus the field is studded with heaps. After the first 

 fire is got to be of considerable bulk, no straw is wanted for other 

 heaps, because a good shovel full of fire can be carried to light 

 other heaps ; and so, until all the heaps are lighted. Then the 

 workman goes from heap to heap, and carries the turf to all, by 

 degrees, putting some to each heap every day or two, until all the 

 field be burnt. He takes care to keep in the smoke as much as 

 possible. When all the turf is put on, the field is left ; and, in 



